British Rail Class 43 (HST)
The Class 43 is a diesel locomotive and the main component of the Intercity 125 sets, alongside a set of British Rail Colour scheme on the front, while the window sits large and streamlined, with a single wiper. The side of the train has a large ventilation shaft on it, used for engine cooling. Class 43s come in two batches, the Class 43/0, and the Class 43/1, the latter being a converted DVT, while the first ones where built by British Rail originally. It is known by railfans as the HST. History Development The Class 43 was developed alongside the Electric Locomotive and Gas Turbine Locomotive versions of the APT. The development was quite slow, as most thought was being placed into the faster and more ambitious APT. As the project continued, the APT adapted many futures. The only one that would not be re- used was its Hydrokinetic Braking, A German principal that used jets of water to slow and ultimately stop the wheels. Enter Into Service Due to the late development and ultimately the commercial failure of the APT, a new train was needed, and fast. As the Class 43 was rushed onto the Production line, it became blessed with the name "intercity 125" due to its standard speed. It began operating on the East Coast Main Line and the GWR, primarily the latter. at this point, only the class 43/0 types had been built, and slowly, some units of the ECML where transferred to the East Midlands Services, Where they remain today. Privatisation Of British Rail With the privatisation of British Rail , the 125s where gradually phased out on the ECML , being transferred to the East Midlands and to the GWR. Soon after, other companies, mainly Virgin Cross Country, began to use the new Class 43/1 Units, as did the ECML. The trains are still (catagorically) the best diesel trains operationg on the UK network. Withdrawal As with most other older trains, the trains a re expecting withdrawal soon, mainly due to the unsafe "Slam Doors", although they never break down, and are the fastest diesel trains in the world, with an absolute maximum speed of 148mph. Many alternative have been devised, including re- fitting the trains with safer semi-automatic doors . Design The train has the standard British Rail Colour scheme on the front, while the window sits large and streamlined, with a single wiper. The side of the train has a large ventilation shaft on it, used for engine cooling. It also has a Paxman-Valentia engine installed and sound buffers for the drivers cab. Variants The only way to tell the difference on the outside between Class 43/0 trains and Class 43/1 trains is to look at the headlights, they look different on the two trains. The XPT in Australia is based on the Class 43 Trivia *The Class 43 is officially the fastest diesel train in the world, although two claims say they have beating the record. *It is also the second fastest train in Britain (2mph behind the leader), although new tracks will see it return to the top spot. Gallery A FGW class 43.jpg|Class 43 4003 at London Paddington. Class 43 leaving.JPG|A Class 43 bound for London Paddington (via Bristol) departs Exeter St Davids. Class 43 cc profile.JPG|A Class 43 in CrossCountry livery prepares to depart from Exeter St Davids. Class 43 converted dVT.jpeg|A National Express HST runs on their former East Coast Main Line route. class 43 cc front.JPG|An angled projection of a HST at Exeter St Davids. See Also *XPT (NSW) *HST References *Book: Intercity 125, Super Profile *Site: Wikipedia *Site: NSW Trains Wiki Category:Diesel Locomotives Category:BR locos/trains Category:European High-Speed Rail Networks Category:UK railways Category:British Rail Locomotives Category:United Kingdom